1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to stringed instruments, and more particularly to the construction of the instrument for improving the volume and quality of the sound produced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Because box-type stringed instruments (those instruments having both flat tops and backs) tend to trap a portion of the sound inside, they lose some of the energy produced by the vibrating strings through the soundboard and into the interior of the instrument. The sound waves bounce off the back, oscillating more or less within the same area and tending to cancel one another; they lose energy on every bounce and only slightly affect the back as a resonator.
Instruments with gently curved tops and/or backs are not without problem, in that the waves are now directed to other areas of the interior of the instrument, and because they have no purposeful direction, they become dissipated before they are fully heard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,395 appears to be the most pertinent reference to the present invention. In that patent, the soundwaves emitted from the soundboard are directed by the shape of the back to the bridge area where an electrical pick-up is located.
In another invention, a violin innovator has increased the instrument volume by putting a sound post (a wooden peg) between the top and back, thereby directly transferring some of the vibrations from the bridge to the back.